A Look into Lining!

I've been on the cusp of lining my corset for the last few months now and I'm really hoping to be able to get round to it at some point soon - we can but dream! So this is just a quick study on how the stays in the museum are lined and the reasons and techniques that seem to be behind it. - just so that I'm ready when I can finally get round to it.

BATMC1.27.85:

(all images courtesy of the Fashion Museum Bath and North East Somerset Council)

Details: (or basic observations)

-This pair of stays reflects the apparantly standard technique of lining the tabs first and then laying the body pieces down after. You can tell this by the way the body lining is sewn down along the top of the tabs and not the other way round.

- This corset has 5 inner tabs in-between the CF point and the CB tab.

- This particular corset has had the 'Under-arm strip' sewn on after the lining has been sewn down.

Image courtesy of the Fashion Musuem, Bath and N. E Somerset Council

- As far as I can tell from my photo's, there is definitely one side of the lining (along the eyeletted edges on one half at the CB) that is not sewn down but remains loose. It is hard to see from my photo's if it is just one side; there does seem to be possible stitching marks when I look closely at one of the photo's but they are not definite. The reason I mention this is I have often been confused as to why some of the corsets have this one 'open-side' but the other side is firmly sewn down. There must be a reason. I've included an image of the 'open-side' so you can see what I'm prattling on about. For example, the other BATMC 1.27.85 has one side sewn down and one side loose as well.

-  There are three main body panels to the lining: The CF and the two CB's.I don't see how this doesn't make the lining very baggy compared to the corset as it cannot have the same shaping involved in just one piece compared to the two or three panels on the front, however the above image does not look so badly baggy as I imagine it should. Then beneath each of these panels are the tabs pieces sewn individually to each tab except where they've been grown-on.

- The CB panels have been cut with the first tab nearest the CF grown-on and also, the right side CB piece 

(that is, right when you look at the photo) also has the CB tab grown-on within that same piece of lining. The opposite side doesn't have this piece grown-on but treats it as a separate piece.

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and N. E.Somerset Council

- This particular corset has a side panel inserted between the CF and CB on the front side. You can see it clearly from the silhouette outline of the corset where there is a step between the first tab and the CF point.. There could be many reasons for this insertion. In my mind though, logically, I think it's most likely to be that this section was inserted after the corset was made so as to make it bigger. If this is so, then that means that the corset was re-lined once this section was added. Which also means they re-trimmed the whole of the corset at the same time, as the trim remains unbroken and of the same piece when it crosses this inserted panel.

- Just to carry on this thread of logic, it also means the under-arm piece was sewn after the alteration was made as it is not included inside the lining. Unless, of course, it wasn't standard practise to sew this 'under-arm piece' under the lining.

- There also seems to be a strip sewn on along the edge of the CB where the eyelets are - possibly as a protective layer, but my photo's are unclear as to where this ends and how it is sewn on. You can see it in the top photo as a slight 'step' in the outline that shows there's a piece sewn on. (Look far left at the first eyelet at the bottom).

- I've also included some close-up images of the lining. 

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and N. E Somerset Council

BATMC1.27.865:

(Image Courtesy of the Fashion Museum , Bath and North East Somerset Council)

Details:

- Again, tabs sewn down first and then the main body of the lining sewn afterwards. There are 6 inner tabs in-between the CF point and the CB tabs.
- And, as far as I can see (when zooming in); the main body of lining is also in three parts with the seam coming around-about the place of the beginning of the Side Back Panel, just after the second tab.
- The CF panel is a complete one piece that includes the CF point but has the first and second tab treated separately.
- On this corset, you can see from the photo, that the Under-arm tab has been sewn down before it was lined.

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and N.E Somerset Council

- Another interesting detail is that you can see the abrasion from the two inside front bones on the lining - like shadows, and therefore you get to see their positioning and see how thick they are.
- I can't tell from my photo's whether or not the lining has been sewn down or left loose on this on at all, they are just too vague and I thought I'd remembered to take a photo of this particular detail as I'd noticed it on the very first corset I'd looked at - but obviously I hadn't remembered as there's no record. Oh well. Maybe next time I go up...
- Edge trimmed with a soft leather, the same as the 'under-arm' piece.

BATMC1.27.85

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and N. E.Somerset Council

Details:
- As with the corset above (BATMC 1.27.865) the CF panel covers upto the second tab, although with this pair the seam sits slightly nearer to the CF, about midway accross the second tab.
- Again the corset is sewn with three panels - a CF panel and the two CB panels on either side.
- On this particular corset none of the tabs are grown-on, all are sewn indiviually with the main body of lining sewn down on top - this does not include the CF point. There are 7 inner tabs on this corset running in-between the CF tab and the CB tabs.

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and N.E  Somerset Council

- There's an interesting detail seen on this corset through the tear at the CF, which shows the panel having been lined with a layer of canvas. BATMC 1.27.865 also seems to have this oppurtunity to look at the under layer but the tear does not show so much. I will say though, that this is possibly only for the CF, maybe as extra support or even it could be the Centre Busks compartment as when lifting up the loose lining section near the eyelets on the one side, you can see the sticthing marks of the boning. (see opposite).
- Edge trimmed with a woven herringbone tape by the looks of it.

.BATMC 1.27.44:

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council

This is such a beautiful crisp looking job. See how neat the lines are and how clean it all looks - and I don't just mean the lack of stains - I mean the preciseness of it. It's just lovely. So...
Details:
- Again, the corset is lined with three main body panels, the CF which in this case runs to the end of the third tab and then the CB panel which covers to the eyelets.
- None of the tabs are grown-on apart from the CF tab.
- There are 8 inner tabs between the CF tab and the CB tabs.I wonder if this has to do with the size of the person rather than just style? Just a thought.
- I haven't recorded whether or not this corset has an open CB lining or not.
- There are does seem to be a slight shadow of a top bust line inner boning. running almost along the egde.

A WONDERFUL LESSON LEARNT!!!

This is worth writing in CAPITALS! 

The tailors where I did my work experience once told me that the tailors that trained him used to chew on cotton threads so that when they pricked themselves and bled a little on the garment they were working on they could take the spittal-soaked ball of cotton and dab it on the blood and it would come off. He explained that only the person's spit whose blood it was could clean the blood up.

I liked the detail as a bit of social history and a pictoral fact, and imagined them crossed legged on the table, hunched over their sewing and chewing cotton.

BUT! I have just been sewing the final stages of yet another sample for a shift, in expensive linen and all white and glorious, and I don't even know what happened, except that while I was on the machine I felt a tug on my finger and the next minute there was a large (about 5mm) blob of blood on my white linen. Panic! This was supposed to be for photographs! 

So I shoved a bundle of the thread I'd been slowly chopping of and gathering into a little pile, into my mouth and chewed and sucked and got it all moist and dabbed it on the blood, and dabbed it on the blood, and got an off-cut of linen and held it on the back and re-sucked some more thread and dabbed it on, and dabbed it on. And do you know what! It's all gone! It really has.

Amazing.

The Difference A Steam Makes:

This is just a quick post to show the difference a good steam session has made to this corset. I have steamed this pair of stays once before - when I wanted to start on the ribbons and was trying to get the ridges between the panels to calm down - which they did a little. But this time, the effect of it was much more exciting.

It's a good argument for using natural fibres really. I know some people say you shouldn't use cane in Corsetry because although it is a fibre that was used back in the 1700's it was tended to be only used by the poorer section of the society and that it would be better to find a stronger whalebone substitute. But going into anything that can't be effected by steam and heat takes away one of the stages of stay building.

Norah Waugh in her book: Corsets and Crinolines, mentions how they'd apply a hot iron to the whalebone to shape it and steam can help set wood and cane. In one of my previous posts, the researching of the various types of panniers, one of the types used 'Oval Cane' which obviously must've been steamed or fixed into that shape somehow as cane does not handily grow in an oval shape ready for panniers!

It's all just very interesting stuff...

These photos are of the latest stage.
- The under-arm section has been sewn on.
- The inner boning and centre busk has been sewn down.
- and it has recieved a jolly good steam.
Now all that remains is the Lining.

I've asked Bath Fashion Museum for permission to use yet more photographs, so I can do a blog looking into the techniques and pattern options used in lining the various corsets I have viewed, and once I hear back I shall publish that post.

More Stays with the Under Arm Strip:

Dated 1750-1780, this corset is from the Snowshill Collection based now in the National Trust. It's inventory number is: 1349941. 

Interesting Features are:

- The sharp angled lines at the CF.

- The boning is quite obvious, maybe even chunky, in comparison to others. The indentation they have left seem far more outstanding than the three I've looked at in the Bath Fashion Museum.

- 10 Panels! There is a panel in between the very CF conical shape and what is usually regarded as the Side Panel due to the way it wraps itself round the rib cage and down to the front. You can see the extra ribbon as the cone shapes away and meeting midway at the CF point. You know, I don't think I've seen one with 10 panels before.

- Quite a wide and blunt CF point at the bottom and it is made up of the two panels meeting. 

- No straps.

- 6 inner tabs in-between the CF point and the CB tab.

- Fully Boned.

This is the back view of the Corset from the V&A, also featuring in Eleri Lynn's Book: Underwear - Fashion in Detail. They are British and from around the 1780's. 

Interesting Features:

- V&A list the fabrics - Linen and buckram, applied silk, chamois leather and whalebone, lined with linen.

- Circumference, bust = 86 cm, waist = 62 cm, hip (over flared tabs) = 71 cm.

- Length; front = 28 cm, back = 40 cm

-Half-boned, but I'd say a dense half boned. It's only really the front bust and a small angle at the CB that aren't fully boned.

- 8 panels with decorative blue silk ribbon.

- non-matching lace up holes and interestingly you can see the marks left from the lacing and in which way they were laced.

- There is also a shadow on the CF which suggests inner boning also.

- Straps

Here are just some old photo's of mine that I found from a trip to the V&A years ago.

It really is a beautiful corset - such neat tabs.

Under-Arm Leather Strip

This is just a quick post to look into the techniques of sewing the Under-arm leather strip on. I could have just gone through the photo's myself but thought I'd make a post out of it.

I'm currently on the stage of sewing this section of the corset, hence the sudden need to look into it closer.

Here's an image of piece I am talking about:

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council

This piece is not exactly an essential piece of the corset - only 2 out of the 3 stays that I have viewed had this piece on it and one of those wasn't so much as a decoration as a slightly thicker binding trim. But I think it makes the corset look more stylised and if the comfort of the client is wished, then I'm sure it's a piece that would be wanted.

The hard wearing linen and rigidity of the boned corset would be very abrasive to the soft skin under the arm. This small strip of zig-zagged leather just gives it that smooth feel that would be far more comfortable to wear.

This image above is of a pair of stays (I just write 'corset' for the pure ease of it) in the Bath Fashion Museum and is currently not on display. It is the one I have chosen to base my hand made corset on.

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council.

In the above image you can see that this strip has been sewn on by a top stitching running parallel to the top of the corset and then stitches holding down each individual zig-zag. In the photo above most of these bottom stitches have come undone but in the following photo they are more evident. 

Image courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council.

As I've already mentioned, only one other of the stays that I have viewed during my trips to the Bath Fashion Museum have had this strip and that one was barely a denser trim, but there is another image of a corset from a book that also has this more decorative strip on it's scye section. It is a corset from the V&A collection.

You can only see the corner of it in this image and is of a slightly different design, being more of an eliptical or inverted scalloped edge fhan the zig-zags of the previous corset. The zoom in version also shows the very gentle stitches that hold this piece down.

Well that's it for now - just a very basic post but it has helped me in my research of how to sew this thing on.

Update on Grain Discussion for the Side Front Panel.

During a quick research moment - with me trying to double check the methods used in sewing down the under-arm leather strip - I discovered that I could also get close enough to be able to see the grainline for the Side Front Panel.

So just thought I'd quickly post it up.

As you can just about see, once again, the grain tends to be going with the forth tab nearest the Side Back Panel. Although in this image that tab is slightly blurred and at an angle, you can see from the rest of the panel  which way the grain lies and how it runs in a similar direction.

Here is also the smaller version of the photo so you can see what you're looking at as a whole.

This corset is from the V&A and features in their book 'Underwear - Fashion in Detail' by Eleri Lynn an pages 80 and 81.

The passage beneath this corset reads:

' These stays are made of densely woven linen, high at the back and wide and low across the bust. They are made with 8 pieces with pale blue silk ribbon overlaying the seams...'

What is also interesting is that she gives some information as to how they might have been made up.

'The bones of these stays are cut very finely, in some instances as narrowly as 3mm. Cutting whalebone this thinly required a high degree of expertise and physical strength, which was also needed to PUSH THE BONES INTO THEIR TIGHT FABRIC CASINGS.' (Capitals mine)

I wonder where she got this information from or if it was deduced from the corset itself.

Panniers and Petticoats!

Panniers and Petticoats!

Just a quick image list of all the pannier's I've found whilst doing research online. I want to be able to update this post as I slowly discover where these images come from and which museum etc, but for now it's just a 'here they are!' kind of post.

If anyone knows anymore details about each of these, I'd love your imput. Thanks.

Also, I've changed all the words from 'pannier' to 'petticoat'. It's funny how you stick to what you first learnt but Pannier was the French word and 'hooped petticoat' the English. I might as well get used to using the correct term now, it's only a few extra letters.

Full Length Hooped Petticoat.

Details: English 1750-80. LACMA describe it as 'pannier made of linen plain weave cloth and cane hoops'

Also interesting features are: 

* Two arched canes at top.

* Four complete round canes.

* Hem is caned.

* Finished Length is about low to mid calf.

* Plain unbleached colour.

* Large and Triangle shaped pockets - similar to Norah Waugh's pannier pattern.

* Sounds silly to say - but a flat cane is used as the ridges to each channel are not bumped.

* And again, this may sound odd, but when I zoom in closer to the image, the stitching for the top two cane arches disappears before it reaches the first complete circle cane. I mention this because construction is an important point and Norah Waugh mentions in her 'Corsets and Crinolines' that 'The top pieces vary in depth according to the size of the waist' p.46. Could this be a retractable option?
* I have emailed LACMA and have asked for some more details about this item.

Mid-Length Hooped Petticoat and Cage Frame Petticoat:

All the website said about these two was: Panniers c.1760.

Blue Pair:

* Two arched canes at top. 

* The bottom of these two arched canes does seem to join the first circular cane rather more fiercely than the top. Similar to the zoom in on the above image. Again, could this just be the stitching come undone or a way to reduce the length of cane?

* Three Complete Circular Canes deep.

* Hem is caned.

* Larger looking pocket openings.

* Blue; I'd presume Linen.

* Probably finishes around knee level.
* Length of hip is similar to torso so about 14"- 16"

Cage Frame:

* Two Arched Canes at top.
* 4 round main canes.
* Probably mid calf in length.
* Looks like 16 connecting straps coming from Waistband.
* Wonder what the materials are - what the boning is?
* Length of hip is longer than torse so I'm guessing about 18"?

Cage Frame Side Hips:

Can't seem to find the museum this particular pannier cage is from. The web site I got it from was: wilhelminamarquart.blogspot.com.
* Not made up using a single circular cane/boning but has what is similar to 3 arched canes that join to a cf single cane or boning.
* 4 straps at front and two over the arched sections.

* It would be interesting to find out what the cane/boning actually is, it could be whalebone as it is relatively dark and doesn't look covered. I need to find out where it is so I can find out more about it.

Short Hooped Petticoat:

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
They label this pair of panniers as: Panniers ca. 1750. British. Tan Linen and Baleen.' 

Interesting Features:

* We know then, that it's definitely baleen that's been used for the boning.

* One Arched Bone.

* Two round circular bones.

* Hem's been boned also.

* Unable, from this view to see if it has pocket openings.

* I'd also like to be able to feel this fabric and see how stiff the linen was. I'm sure it's in one of Iris Brookes books that she uses the word 'canvas' to describe the weight of fabric used for the panniers, but I can't at present find the quote so we'll hold on that one til I can find where I've read it.

** UPDATE: I have found the quote and it was in Iris Brooke's books after all. The comment comes while writing about the references later on in the century to 'hoop' and how they probably were more likely to be referring to a 'hip-hoop' rather than, and I quote: "the whole whalebone and canvas petticoat".

Short Hooped Petticoat:

This garment is from the V&A's collection and is described as: British made for the retailer A Schrabner in 1778. Made of Linen, cane or whalebone.

Interesting Features are:

* One single arched Cane/Bone.

* One complete Circular Cane/Bone.

* Using a 'Zoom', it's quite hard to see the stitching round the circular cane/bone. The reason I mention this is that it could be the fabric is made to drape over a cage frame - although they would've probably mentioned this in their notes. Scrap that - I've just found a closer image, and it looks more like they've made what I call a 'French Seam Channel' i.e, they've sewn a casing out of the actual garment - this is suggested by the way - if you look at the second image - the top of the arched cane is strictly gathered (which suggests stitching) while look at the way the fabric flops down over the cane, all bunched up and ruffled and not controlled by any stitching. The cane would then be pushed through this channel but only the ridge where the stitching makes the casing is it seen. Does that make sense?

* Pockets - as seen in second photo.

* The Top panel is made up of segments and with just a fold over channel for the ties.

* There is the smallest of glimpses into the inside of the pannier and although we can definitely say it's not a cage pannier with cloth draped over - it's really hard to see anything beyond that.

* Hem is NOT caned/boned.

* The linen fabric itself doesn't look too heavy - the weave is fairly textured and obvious and certainly there is a strong look about it, but I wouldn'e describe it as 'canvas looking' - I'm really going to have find that quote.

* On the second image there is also a piece of extra fabric sewn on - possibly an attempt to mend it -  as I cannot see this on the front or anywhere else - for a minute I thought it could've been a boning channel starting.

* Length of hips seem to be about 15" going with the curve of the top. I say this because it seems to be about equal to the torso of the body and my mannequin measures 15" from waist to shoulder.

* Also, last thing - there are ties at the front - is it right to assume they are for shaping the petticoat? Part of the essential process in pannier making as I make one now, is to have the ties in at each level. These then get tied to their partner on the opposite side of the pannier and tightened to depending how narrow you want the panniers to be (i.e to the waist size of the customer). Is it that the cane has now so long been set that the ties aren't needed to hold the shape? Or is it that they were never needed to hold the shape, but just to pull the oval cane in when needed to adapt to the waist size? There is another pannier (or hooped petticoat) that I haven't as yet put up on this blog, having run out of time where there are many, many, many ties. Surely they can only be for the same use which we use them now? If anyone has any thoughts, or more knowledge on this matter please message me.

Short Panniers:

Panniers from the Kyoto Costume Institute.
But I can't seem to pin an image of this particular pannier down to my blog page - I will yet continue to try but for now - check out the following site: www.kci.or.jp/archives/digital_archives/detail_8_e.html .

This should take you to a page which has a mannequin wearing a beautiful 18th Cent shift, a brown corset and a pair of short panniers: Have a good zoom in.
- In fact - I've just found it on someone else's blog - so here's the image but I've left the above information up as it is still better to go to the website and have a close up look.
What's interesting about this is the details they give with the photo.

* One full circular round Cane - they depict as Rattan Cane.

* Looks like two side arched canes going into the waistline rather than arching round like the others.

* Website says fabric is 'Cotton Chintz' which is quite interesting.

* Website also uses the words 'oval hoops'; as in plural but I can only see one and that's probably accidental and referring to all the canes used, oval or not.

* The panniers literally sit at hip level.

* From the image it's not possible to see if there are pockets and perhaps with the side canes going into the waist it might limit the amount of pocket space.

Hoop Petticoat 1755-86 - Cora Ginsburg

Details:

- Now this is an interesting example of a hooped petticoat and the following details are mostly based on complete guess work as I have at the moment, only this image to go from.

- Obvious detail is that the cane is only joined to the seen-skirt at the CF in three places: not including the top cane/bone. Now, the only three reasons I can come up for for this go as follows:

               1) Only this small CF detail has been caned and for some reason it gets                       caned with a smaller piece of cane/bone for each level.

               2) The cane/bone is ONLY joined to the fabric at these centre points but                    carries round un-covered and presumably held in place by connecting ties and                straps as seen in other panniers.(see above).

               3) That the canes.bones are ONLY joined to the fabric at these centre                        points but that another skirt layer is underneath; allowing an extra                          covering over the cane/bone so that it is less likely to come through to the                 top-side of the skirt.

In my mind the least likely and least logical is the first option.

- Top complete cane holding out the top of the skirt.

- No top arched canes.

- Gathered in top section with side pockets or easy access - I can't figure it out which is the correct reason for these gaps.

- Quite long in length - say lower mid-calf.

- Hem not caned or boned.

There is an example of a top layer of fabric covering the boning is Iris Brooke's Book 'Dress and Undress'. Here's an image below. Her notes on the page say 'All these are to be found in various collections in England'.

(It's the one in the bottom left hand corner if you hadn't figured it out!)

Also, having just brought the book 'Costumes Close Up' by Linda Baumgarten and John Watson, they cover this particular item. I've scanned it in to my laptop so you should be able to see it below....

Mid-length Striped Hooped Petticoat: